Jets owner wants Ryan Fitzpatrick back, but only at the right price

The sheer terror that creates is not enough, however, to make them overpay for Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But it’s early yet.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told a group of reporters at the owners meetings that he’d definitely like to see the team bring back Fitzpatrick, but only at the right price. Finding that right price has proved tricky, and remains the reason he’s a man without a team and they’re a team without a starter.

Johnson was intent enough on not giving Fitzpatrick any more leverage (such that Smith isn’t enough) to declare him “the” priority for the rest of the offseason.

“Well, he’s ‘a’ priority. You have to fill out about 25 positions, 25 percent change,” Johnson said. “We’re focused on this and we’re also looking at the draft. There is time to pick up players, not only this period but pre-draft free agents. But after the cut-downs and all that there is always chances to improve your team.”

Fitzpatrick had another good year last year (the kind he’s generally had when working with Chan Gailey), but the Jets are hesitant to overpay the 33-year-old. And even though casting their lot with either Smith or Bryce Petty seems like a good way to step back, the Jets clearly aren’t prepared to spend an exorbitant amount on Fitzpatrick.

But does Fitzpatrick have the toughness and leadership it takes to get punched in the chops by a teammate and make it back in just a few short months? This is a question the Jets apparently need to ask these days.

Just because one team paid one player one thing doesn’t mean the Jets should pay that or more. No one else wants the guy. The Jets are playing this very well. Fitz has never and will never lead a team to the playoffs.

I’d say both sides need to compromise. Give him back up money ($5-7M) and add on a number of incentive bonuses that could boost his pay to a more appropriate amount for a starter should he remain the starter for the entire year.

Also needed to be taken into account is the Jets current Cap space, they’ll need to create some space thru cuts, and renegotiations in order to pay Fitz what he wants.

And also as of this time, the Jets are the only team interested in signing him. He may end up being retired if he continues to price himself out of the market…

When Brock gets $18mil and Chase Daniels gets $7mil, I think the Jets need to pay the man at worst somewhere in between. He’s not a good QB, I don’t think anyone thinks he is, but he’s better than either of those two, that is for sure.

Sure Woody, but the big majority of those 25 positions better be on the lower tier of your roster. You are talking about your starting QB here. Whether you decide it is Fitz or someone else (Glennon?) it better be THE priority.

@redclaw1314- Are you serious? If you want a contender Woody better sign someone else…Fitzi ain’t gonna get it done , not in the AFC east anyway…big deal – he swept Miami…that & .50 cent still won’t get you a cup a coffee

If he’s a journeyman, what does that then say about 7 career starts=18 mill per year Osweieler? Oh, and Bradford, getting an average of a million dollars per td pass during his injury laden career? If either of those guys is worthy(LOL) of anything north of 15 mill per year, so is a proven veteran who has the experience you need at the qb spot… those other two are only worth that much a year combined!

Woody is why the Jets don’t win, even when they have talent. Instead of making deals timely, whether it is to keep, trade, or cut a member of the organization, he plays it out publicly to show what a tough negotiator he is. Owners and GMs that are winners make an assessment, take action, and move on to the next issue. Woody couldn’t even cut Tebow never mind deal with a complex issue like Wilkerson’s contract.

You get rewarded for success. Fitz-fizzle had/has every opportunity to take the Jets to post-season, given Decker and Marshall. But even with them, he still can’t get the job done. Forget about the “going rate” at present: what have you done lately for your team? It was because of you that the team missed the playoffs. $10M/yr @ 3 years, $20M “guaranteed” is more than a just-reward. Even Chan Gailey is sweating now lol

It looks like the market has already been set and the Jets just haven’t gotten the memo yet. They’re going to be stuck playing that sort of money to somebody and it very easily could be somebody quite a bit worse than Fitzpatrick.

They’ve also paid very little the past 3 seasons on their QB thanks to Geno’s rookie deal and Fitzpatrick’s current deal. If their thinking was that would last forever they were kidding themselves.

My quess; he hangs on for a bit and then takes another offer below what he wants, but better than what the Jets are willing to offer….That team will be one where he is not the obvious starter, but where he gets a chance to compete for that job…..

Jets dont have any money so im not sure where they are planning to get it from anyway. Over the cap has them with 2.9 million left and that is before they signed some other players. Geno you better start getting ready to play. Jets fans prepare for a bad season….again.

Hey, I’m ready for the Bryce Petty Project to begin!! Value selection as a 4th rounder, he watched for a year, he’s either ready for prime time or he isn’t and nobody can make that determination when he has a clipboard in his hands.